Focusing on couples

UK couples now spend about 150 minutes per day together (Report, 30 October): 50 spent watching TV, 30 eating and 24 on household chores. This suggests there are only around 6.6 minutes where couples are interacting without distractions. So the principle of couples making time for themselves as partners to maintain healthy relationships has never been more important. Relationship breakdown can be devastating for families and individuals, and costs the UK economy £44bn a year. Investing in our relationships at individual and governmental level is crucial. The Relationships Alliance has come together to put good-quality relationships at the heart of our society, demonstrating that the relationships people can take for granted are as central to wellbeing as health and finances. The government should be constantly reviewing ways to remove or reduce barriers to couples and families having time together.Ruth SutherlandRelate,Mark MoldenMarriage Care, Susanna AbseTavistock Centre for Couple Relationships, Penny Mansfield One Plus One